Age Gaps
by eenayde
Summary: Mission Retrieve Sand Kazekage: Fail. With the Kazekage dead, and the Akatsuki another step ahead, naturally, chaos erupts. So it's a miracle when Jiraiya finds an old Uzumaki scroll that allows one person to travel back in time. Sakura, being the Hokage's apprentice, gets the job. She's sent back to stop the Kazekage abduction - and change a certain person's childhood. DeiSaku!
1. The Council

A withered tanned hand reached up to the top row on a dangerously creaking bookshelf, fingers running over various pieces of jutsu before stopping and pulling one out- a particularly ancient one- with an index finger. The old man took his unoccupied hand and brushed off some dust.

"Uzu.. Ah!"

His hand rubbed the dust of completely, revealing the kanji underneath it.

"Finally: Uzumaki! That's the very last one."

Jiraiya sighed in exhaustion and relief, finally completing the (very) tedious chore of finding old Uzumaki scrolls. He tucked the scroll underneath his arm, walked over a few metres away and threw it rather carelessly into a bulging fabric shopping bag.

"I hope this is what Tsunade wants because I am not- even if she threatens to take my researching time away- ever doing anything as boring as this ever, _ever_ again."

He grumbled, slinging the bag over his shoulder, which was aching along with the rest of his old overused body. He was a ninja, for goodness sake! A Sannin at that. Not a damn librarian! He couldn't stay in a dark, damp, cold library for hours looking for scrolls- his eyes needed glasses (Not that he'd ever admit it, though) . The Sannin strolled over to the door, desperately hoping that someone was there to open it. Yep, that's right. Tsunade had locked the entrance to make sure Jiraiya did his job. But, of course, the gods hated him and luck wasn't on his side. Not like it ever had been, anyway.

"Hello? I'm done! I've scoured the entire library and I have all the Uzumaki scrolls. Care to let me out?" He yelled, banging on the door.

The only response was silence.

"You have got to be kidding me... Why? Why do you all hate me?! Why have you done this to me?! Why have you forsaken me!?" Jiraiya slammed his head into the door repeatedly, wailing out curses to a nonexistent audience.

* * *

"Jiraiya! Explain yourself, you greedy old man! Well? Don't just stare at me, answer me! Jiraiya? Jiraiya! JIRAIYA!" Tsunade snarled angrily, glaring at Jiraiya who had, once again, (for the fifth time that day) , fallen asleep standing in her office.

Tsunade's eye twitched, took a deep breath, but unable to contain her anger, slapped Jiraiya hard across the face.

"Ow!" The white-haired Sannin yowled, his hands clutching his red left cheek. "What was that for?"

"You know perfectly well, dammit! Don't play dumb with me." Tsunade closed her hazel eyes, and when they opened a moment later, they were softer but still furious.

Jiraiya sighed. "Okay, how about this. I'll apologise for whatever I did wrong, which I don't think I did, and you'll calm down and stop being angry at me for no reason."

"Jiraiya..."

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, alright?"

"Good. Now, explain yourself. Why didn't you call me? I could have looked at those scrolls last night. Now my schedule's booked full!" Tsunade huffed, knitting her brows together in annoyance.

Jiraiya gasped. "What?! You can't just yell at me like that! I banged on the door all night and didn't get any sleep! Why didn't you just leave someone outside the door?"

Tsunade stopped and stared at him. "Huh? Shikamaru was outside. And even if he slacked off, why didn't you just find some other way out? You are a goddamned Sannin for Kami's sake. Nice try, but I'm not falling for it. You obviously fell asleep!"

Jiraiya mentally face palmed. Why _hadn't_ he just gone out instead? And Shikamaru? He probably fell asleep and didn't wake up. Tsunade _knew_ that he was a really heavy sleeper!

"Anyway, I'll do something horrible to you later. Where are the scrolls?"Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow, calming her temper for the time being.

"Um... Well, you see, you dragged me here before I could get the scrolls from the library..."

"JIRAIYA!"

* * *

"I _hate_ Mondays. Just so much work! I wish it were the weekend already." Tsunade yawned, stretching her arms then plopping down in her seat.

"With all due respect, Lady Tsunade, but it isn't Monday today, it's Saturday, and there is work on the weekends anyway- perhaps even double the amount on weekdays." Shizune stated, rolling her eyes at the Hokage's dramatic performance.

Tsunade ignored Shizune's comment, deciding to rub her temples instead. They stayed like that for a while, Tsunade relieving herself of the stress that being Hokage gave her and Shizune silently watching her. Shizune finally spoke up.

"Lady Tsunade, the scrolls."

The blonde woman's eyes snapped open and she said, "Give them to me."

Shizune handed over the scrolls, and Tsunade snatched them from her. She tore the first one open (not literally) and began reading, the task lasting many more days before she would find what she needed (even though Tsunade wasn't quite sure what exactly she needed herself).

* * *

Tsunade hurried down a hall in the Hokage building, her shoes making frantic clicking sounds on the tile floor. She arrived at the end of the hall, a door separating her from the room beyond. Tsunade hesitated. She never hesitated. But...

Clearing her mind, Tsunade slammed open the door and sauntered in, confidence radiating from her steps.

"You're late." A voice in the far left of the room remarked dryly.

"I noticed." The female sat down in her seat.

"Why are we here?" Another voice asked, gruff and male.

"The Kazekage is dead, and Sunagakure is chaotic. The Akatsuki have got what they wanted and now they'll go for more! We must stop them by helping Suna!" Tsunade said, looking at the council members to see their reactions.

"We cannot just... help them! We would use too many shinobi and leave our village undefended! Other villages will attack us. Our survival is more important than theirs!" A brown-haired male spat, his face expressing his opinion clearly even without his words.

Tsunade glared at him. "We could lose a powerful ally! If we do help them and succeed, they will be more grateful towards up in the future!"

"But what if we don't succeed?"

To this, the whole council room burst into a chorus of yelling voices.

"We could be wiped out! It would put us in peril, if another hidden village attacks. We would be unable to help Suna if that happens, and it just brings more trouble!"

"We would most likely win if a village attacked us. Our forces are very strong now- and if we did beat this village, then it is unlikely that they would attack us again!"

"We would also have an excuse not to help Suna!"

"What do _you_ propose we do, Lady Hokage?" The man had a quiet voice, but it demanded respect.

All the noise in the room disappeared instantly, all heads turning to look at the speaker. The man was blond, and had a high nose and delicate eyebrows. His eyes were light grey, and in them sparkled power and superiority. He had skin that ranged somewhere between tanned and really pale. Overall, he looked handsome but wouldn't stand out in a crowd (unless that crowd was of ruffians) .

Tsunade blinked once, twice, then three times before finally responding. "While Jiraiya was out on his trip with Naruto, he heard some rumours from his spy network. He heard of a time traveling scroll that is hidden in Konoha; A spy believes that Orochimaru had been looking for it before he left the village. It is an old Uzumaki scroll, capable of sending one person back in time. According to the rumour, a jutsu must be performed for as long as the person who traveled back stays there to keep the traveller there."

The blond man raised an eyebrow. "Where's the catch?"

Tsunade glanced at the council wearily before replying, "The people in the circle are the only ones able to bring the person back, and only those specific people. You can't switch to different shinobi once you've begun, or you'll lose the person in time. _Any_ human being in this time cannot communicate with the person who has travelled. Therefore, they don't know when to bring back the traveller."

An old woman asked, "Even the ones doing the jutsu?"

"I said any human being, didn't I?" Tsunade snapped, thinking that what she said was quite clear.

"You're suggesting we waste our time searching for a scroll even Orochimaru couldn't find? And even if we did find it, somehow, why would we waste something as precious as a time travelling scroll to help Suna?"

Tsunade didn't bother to identify the one who spoke.

Instead, she continued, "We shall vote. I will drop this suggestion immediately if you vote against me. However, there shall be no arguing if I win. Understood? Oh and Jiraiya has found the scroll. Finally." _After hours of searching in a cold damp library that was absolutely stuffed with scrolls, _she added in her head.

The library was actually very well hidden. It didn't stand out at all. Jiraiya had thought it was a wall! He was lucky that he walked into the front door while he was spacing out- otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed it.

The council members looked at each other, sharing glances of understanding. A few people nodded their heads in comfirmation. The council room was soon quiet as everyone thought about their decision.

The Hokage waited a few more moments, then said, "All those who propose we use this scroll for our personal uses raised your hand." A number of hands went up, but Tsunade didn't to bother to count.

"Now, all those who propose we help Suna raise your hand." Tsunade's heart sank. She didn't have enough votes, and she hadn't even counted!

Suddenly, she realised that the blond man with grey eyes had yet to vote. She looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"I vote for... helping Suna."

Tsunade sighed. They still didn't have enough votes.

"Lady Tsunade? I would like to change my vote. I vote for helping Suna," Said a young lady, her voice shaking slightly.

"I change my vote too. I want to help Suna." A male, this time. Several men shot the speaker looks of betrayal.

"I change my vote as well. Helping Suna all the way!" Boomed a loud voice, cheery and happy.

"I change also. Suna it is." Muttered a frail voice, raspy and quiet.

Five more votes weren't much, and it was close. But Tsunade had one more vote than the opposing group, and one small vote was what made that difference. No, wait, the blond man with grey eyes is what made the difference. Yeah, that's right.

Tsunade pointed to a random council member. "Quickly! Go get the girl!" She commanded, her tone leaving no space for denial. It was sharp and loud and fearless.

Startled and afraid of his leader's voice, the man stood up from his chair and slipped out from the meeting room, closing the door behind him. He hurried down the halls, exiting the building at the door. The random council member walked on, his pace quick, his body driven by adrenaline from Tsunade's leader-like vocal chords and his mind was numbed. The sun beat down mercilessly on his white skin as he walked through the bustling streets of Konoha, pushing past civilians and tourists. He had been half-running-half-walking for nearly five minutes before his brain started functioning again and he was struck with a thought:

Who was he supposed to get?

* * *

**Hey! This first chapter is really boring. This is DeiSaku, if you don't like it, don't read it. That phrase must be cliché by now! Please don't flame! This is my first fic and I'm kinda nervous to what you guys will think. It'll get better later, I swear! I couldn't resist adding some of my strange humour in, I'm just so weird.**

**Please review, it'll be my first bunch! Have a good day (or night, in my case.) =D**


	2. The Mission

**Hi again! I would like to thank everyone who has and will review on my story. This chapter is where the story gets a move on. Also, read this: if you are confused to why an ANBU is the one calling Sakura, it's because the council member went back to Tsunade and she called for an ANBU to get Sakura instead, thinking that the council member was incapable. Even though it was kinda her fault. **

* * *

A knock sounded at Sakura's door. The woman traipsed over to her apartment door, and pulled it open. An ANBU stood outside, his or her body clothed in the standard uniform, complete with the mask.

"Sakura Haruno?" The person asked. His or her voice was muffled by the mask so Sakura couldn't identify the gender of the speaker.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah. What do you want?"

"What the Hokage wants, which is for you to go see her in her office. Now."

Just as the mysterious man or woman made a move to disappear in that annoying cloud of smoke, Sakura raised a finger.

"Should I get the other members of Team Kakashi?"

"No." The ANBU responded, voice as neutral as ever.

"Are they already there?"

"No."

"Is this a team mission?"

"No."

"So this is only me, right? A solo mission? Why aren't Naruto and Kakashi coming?"

"Ah! Shut up! Just go to the Hokage already and stop pestering me with questions!"

"Wait! One more thing. Do I bring anything with me?"

"No!"

"Okay. Can you please leave now so I can go?"

"That what I've been trying to do!" The shinobi sighed, making a hand sign and vanishing in a puff of smoke and a popping sound.

The pinkette shrugged, turned and rummaged through her closet by the door, her hands reaching past coats and other accessories.

"Gotcha!" She grinned, and pulled out a pair of sandals. She loved those sandals. Naruto had given them to her for her birthday.

Sakura slipped on her shoes, then walked out, shutting her apartment door behind her. She locked her door, after finally finding her key in her mini weapons pouch that she always carried with her (how did it get there anyway?) , then made her way to the Hokage's office. She would be in for a surprise.

* * *

"How is that even possible?" Sakura scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tsunade looked at her, sighing. "I don't know myself, Sakura. But time travel is. I _need_ you to do this. Not only for me and the village, but Naruto too."

Sakura stiffened and a gleam of determination entered her green eyes.

"...Why me?" She asked.

Tsunade glared at her. "Sakura! Don't underestimate yourself. You are my apprentice, and you might even be my successor. I wouldn't have chosen you if you were a weak sniffling brat!"

"I _was_ a weak sniffling brat, sensei."

"I chose you because you were willing to learn and you had hidden potential. Now, listen. You know what you have to do?"

"No... You didn't explain."

"What I meant was, do you have a _clue_?" Tsunade asked again, choosing her words differently.

"I have to travel back in time to do something awesome and save the world."

"Not quite. Yes, you're the one going, but not the world. Just Suna." Tsunade corrected, rolling her eyes at Sakura's dry humour.

The younger woman's eyes widened. "But I can't take down two Akatsuki members on my own!"

The blonde Hokage smiled. "Don't worry, you won't have to. You're one of my favourite students, I wouldn't send you on a suicide mission."

Sakura frowned, her eyes flitting to the worn ceiling of the office in thought. "Then... What _am_ I supposed to do?"

"You know the Akatsuki who captured Gaara?"

To this, Sakura nodded. She didn't know much about the kidnapper, but Suna told them that he specialised in bombing and was a long distance fighter. They had also said that he was blond. At least, they had _thought_ he was blond. It was hard to see with the darkness and the man fighting far off the ground (When she met him in the cave before _unsuccessfully_ killing Sasori, this theory was proved correct. If you can call that a theory, that is).

Tsunade continued, "Well, his name is Deidara. We don't know much, but I've managed to find a few facts about him in the Bingo book. He should be about nineteen, give of take. He was born in Iwagakure with a Kekkai Genkai. And before you ask, no, I don't know what Kekkai Genkai."

"Is that all we know?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but you're more than capable of working with that. Am I wrong?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, testing Sakura's faith in herself.

"No, it's just... Nothing. I'll be fine. How many years will I be sent back?"_ I can't be sent back to the beginning of this 'Deidara's' life- he'll only be just born._

Tsunade flexed her fingers, then replied, "I think ten is the best bet."

"'Deidara' will be nine by then. Isn't he a bit young?" Translation: 'Deidara' won't be bombing villages _quite_ yet. Most likely a young Academy student.

Tsunade grimaced. "You're right - but we don't know anything about his childhood. Something vastly important could have happened during that time."

The pink-haired medic nin nodded in understanding. "Yes, I suppose."

"Okay. Sakura, you'll be given six months -half a year- to do this. In present time, that'll only be about, what, three to four weeks? You'll have much longer to complete the mission this way." Tsunade paused for Sakura, waiting for her to catch up. "We'll need four jounin level shinobi to do the jutsu- the ritual won't be continuous, but it will need to be performed by these shinobi for seven hours everyday to keep you safely in the past."

Tsunade inhaled deeply, then looked faithfully at Sakura. "Suna is losing more and more control as we speak- Sakura Haruno, I give you this mission. Meet me here at 0950 tomorrow morning- bring only essentials. You are dismissed."

* * *

_I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,_ Sakura repeated the phrase over and over in her head like a mantra.

Sakura sighed, and ran a pale hand through her light pink hair. She glanced down at her legs, her eyes locking on her two **visible** weapon pouches and a small bag- it carried her food and water rations, along with some other small gadgets that could save her life. She felt reassured by just looking at them. Wait. She didn't need reassuring, especially not from her ninja tools.

She was the frickin' Hokage's apprentice! She'd dealt with life and death situations before- why was this one so different?

_You are time traveling, duh! That wasn't even possible to us until yesterday! _Her Inner yelled, not nearly as scared as Sakura was. Was her Inner ever scared?

_My Inner isn't the one doing the work, the one running from enemies, constantly on her guard, doing missions 24/7 and working her butt off at the hospital,_ Sakura thought jealously, a hint of the emotion leaking into her expression.

Sakura was standing in a room, bare of furniture apart from a shelf containing a few scrolls. What they were for, Sakura didn't know. She was currently in the middle of a drawn ink circle, the jounin seated around her. They were muttering something under their breath in unison, their hands together in a ram seal. All of the them were staring intensly at the scroll, which was, for some reason, on the ceiling. Sakura was _still_ trying to figure out how it was staying there.

"We're beginning." A jounin murmured, the one behind her facing the door. Sakura gave the slightest of nods in response.

Suddenly, white flames encircled her feet, dangerously close to her legs but not touching, only scorching them with their intense heat. They cackled ominously, and a sense of foreboding enveloped her. Sakura shivered.

Then, the world became fuzzy, blurriness eating the edges of her vision. She felt herself becoming numb, and as she did so, she began to lose her grip on her senses; sight, touch, smell, taste and sound began to slip away from her, ever so slowly. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that her skin was becoming a little flaky, and peeling off, her body soon a figure purely made from light. Finally, she heard someone laugh. She liked that laugh. It was... nice. It sounded like Sakura Haruno's laugh- oh, wait, she was Sakura Haruno! Was she really? Sakura couldn't be sure...

All thoughts of laughter immediately disappeared from the pinkette's mind as darkness took over her world, and that foreboding washing over her once more.

* * *

**Well, that's done. The story's starting to move along a bit more now! I'm trying not to bore you, and there will be more action later on. Do not freak out- Deidara will not be ten for most of the story. That would just be wrong.  
**

**I would like to say that I'll try to update soon, but, I've got school and stuff... And I need time to edit this story AND think out the plot and ending. I hate not having a plan. Especially when it comes to writing. Unless it's in class. Then, I NEVER have a plan. Ever. Ever ever ever ever. Well, never unless the teacher makes me... Yeah...**

**Oh, and the last part I just added on. I wanted to make Sakura waking up a new chapter.**

**Oh, and I'll explain about what happened exactly on the Kazekage retrieval in the next chapter, in the A/N. I'm too lazy to do it now. **

**Later! Please review, I like it when you do. **


	3. Little Blond Boy

_Squawk!_

The faint sound of flapping echoed in the air as the beady-eyed crow took off.

Sakura blinked the sleep from her green eyes and sat up. She suddenly stiffened when she was halfway, and took a short, sharp breath. A piercing pain shot through her body, coursing through her veins painfully. She merely winced, years of experience preventing her from having a bigger reaction. Lying back down, Sakura began to channel chakra to her abdomen- the spot where it hurt most. Only to discover she didn't have any chakra.

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration, exhaling loudly with her nose.

Deciding to rest, she closed her eyes, not sleeping, yet not quite awake; waiting for her chakra to be replenished.  
Time passed, and Sakura didn't know how long, but soon, it seemed, the pain faded to a dull ache. She got up, her arms reaching to the sky in a needed stretch. Her body bent and twisted, until it was finally rid of any stiffness she may have got, well... Sakura didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. Finally, Sakura noticed her surroundings. She mentally lectured herself for being careless as not to inspect where she was.

She had been lying on the ground, which was made of stone. A few moss-covered slabs of rock were littered around the clearing, some tall some small, but all mysterious and somehow made Sakura feel extremely self-conscious and paranoid.

A sharp wind nipped at her bare arms and legs. The lone girl in the clearing wrinkled her nose as several strands of her bubblegum hair blotted her vision, a few getting into her slightly open mouth, all of this encouraged by the blowing wind. Scowling, the pinkette brushed the strangely coloured hair out of her face and stood up unsteadily, briefly considering the pain earlier.

She took a shaky step forward, and her knees suddenly failed her. She fell, but caught herself at the last moment. Her arms had saved her from falling face down into the hard, cold, bitter rocky ground. Grunting, her lifted herself off the floor took another step forward. Her knees felt like they were on fire, the pain she thought that had disappeared coming back fully. Healing herself a little, just enough so she could walk without making a fool of herself, she set her eyes ahead of her and continued on, bracing herself for the journey ahead.

* * *

Sakura looked around. This was nothing like home. The dry terrain, the different style of housing, the _stifling heat. _And talking about the village, she really needed a guide. Or a map.

_Even though you have zero sense of direction,_ her Inner added, just annoying Sakura more.

_You know you just insulted yourself, right? _Her Inner didn't reply, instead clearing her throat and saying, _The Ninja Academy might be a start._

Sakura thought it was weird to give herself advice, but didn't say, or, _think_ anything to offend her Inner.

A man strolled breezily past her, his hand 'accidentally' brushing hers. There were just so many perverts these days. She tapped the man on the shoulder, ready to ask for directions.

He spun around, grinning. "Wanna take it for a ride?" He breathed, air flowing onto Sakura's cheek. He leant a little closer to her.

Taking a step back, disgusted, then promptly glaring, she whispered back, her voice compact and menacing. "Hell no. I'd rather kiss a cow." Here, she switched to a significantly lighter tone. "Do you know where the Ninja Academy is?"

The man sighed in obvious disappointment. "Yeah. Walk down this street, turn right, then left at the square. Walk for about fifty metres then turn."

"Th-" the man had disappeared before Sakura could finish.

* * *

_Which way?_

Two different paths lay before the only female member of Team Kakashi. They were pretty much the same, both dirty and rough, looking unkempt, but clean enough. Kind of.

The man she had spoken to earlier hadn't pointed out which way to turn. Damn him. Taking a deep breath, the girl decided to go left. She didn't know why- she just felt that something important would happen if she went that way. She traipsed towards the road. As she stood in front of it, she realised it was actually much narrower than she had previously thought. Oh well. Despite her disliking alleys, she walked in causally, hands hanging loosely by her sides.

"Girl." A rough, deep, voice sounded behind her. Sakura abruptly stiffened.  
"This is our land." The tip-tap of footsteps echoed in the empty alley. The speaker was coming closer. "And anyone who comes onto our land needs to be taught a lesson." A hand jerked her backwards by her hair.

Sakura whimpered in shock from the unexpected movement. She didn't dare turn around to face her attacker. He had her in a vulnerable position, able to cripple her seriously or even kill her if he tried hard enough.

Then, a grey-haired man rounded a corner, standing in the place she had been heading too. He walked towards her, his every movement precise and calculated, like a predator about to pounce. Sakura swallowed nervously.

"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in."

Behind her, the grip of the man who was holding Sakura's hair tightened. He must have been angered. Looks like these two didn't get along.

As the second man stopped in front of her, he leant down, exaggerating how tall he was compared to the young woman beneath him. He lifted his hand, which had a kunai in it, and trailed the weapon down her cheek, drawing blood. A few beads rolled down her chin and splattered on her shirt.

"A little girl. What do you think, Tsuntai?" The man holding the sharp tool asked. Then, he continued, "Wonder what a precious jewel like you would be doing in a place like this."

The grey man slashed the kunai down her collarbone. A river of red spurted from the wound. Sakura cried out in pain. If she healed it, they would know she was a ninja, and would be much more cautious around her, making it harder to escape. Not like there was a big chance of that in the first place. The man before her grinned sadistically, licking his lips like he was waiting for a meal. He raised the kunai once more, then-

"Hey, un!"

The grey-haired man spun around, allowing Sakura to see who had spoken.  
"Leave her alone, hmm!" A young boy, about nine or ten, stood at the entrance of the street.

The man Tsuntai, the one holding her, grunted. "It's that pest again, Yuai."

'Yuai' narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Why should we? She's our prey. On _our_ land." He said.

"Your land? This doesn't belong to anyone, hmm. If anything, it would belong to the Tsuchikage!" The boy retorted. "Let her go, un."

"Or what, boy?" Yuai sneered.

"I'll report you. I'll sell you out. I'll-"

"Enough! Take the girl." Yuai made a sideways gesture with his head to Tsuntai, who let her go roughly. Sakura fell on the floor painfully, bruising her arm a little. Getting up, she ran-or walked quickly, in Sakura's opinion- to the boy hastily.

They stared at the other duo, who did the same. Finally, Yuai broke the silence,"We'll be back for you, princess. Watch your step." And with that, the men ran off. What was it with disappearing people in this village?

The boy who saved her looked at her, then said, "Are you a medic nin?" Sakura glanced at him in shock. "Y-yes." "Heal yourself, then, un." Blinking, Sakura snapped out of her dazed state and soon, a mint green glowing appeared on her wounds, closing them. "Let's get outta here, yeah?" The blond child asked. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Who were those guys?" Asked Sakura, once they were a good distance away.  
"...Bad people. Every village has them; They're thieves, kind of." Her companion responded.

"Kind of?" A pink eyebrow was raised.

"They... Are part of the village, they help people, but they also steal, yeah. Weird, huh?"

Sakura didn't respond, only shrugging for an answer. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Where's the ninja academy?"

"The ninja- oh! We're going there right now, hmm."

_Well, _Sakura thought, _I'm certainly lucky today._

_ Or not._ Her Inner added as she remembered her encounter with the kidnappers. _I guess they cancel each other out._

The boy stopped. Sakura did the same. He turned to her. "What are you here for? My sensei picks the weirdest meeting places. Seriously, yeah." He snorted.

"I'm looking for someone that might be here," The pinkette said.  
The boy nodded. "Sibling, right?" Before Sakura could correct him, he continued, "Anyway, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Deidara."

* * *

**so sorry 4 the wait!**

**I was procrastinating, I know. I hope you liked it! ****_Please review, _****I want to know if you guys are enjoying it so far. Also, I'll be gone till Friday next week to Beijing. The rule was NO electronics allowed, plus no wifi. So... Yeah. I'll be gone for a while! Oh and I have writer's block so the next chapter won't come out for some time. ****_Die, writer's block!_**

**_This is what happened on the retrieval mission:_**

**_Basically, everything is pretty much the same, except that Sakura and Chiyo didn't kill Sasori; Naruto and Kakashi don't win against Deidara; Gaara was never resurrected and Chiyo dies in the battle with her grandson._**

**Does that make more sense? I know I said I would explain it in this chapter, but I forgot, so now I'm adding it on. I only found out when I was reading through my work to edit it. Well, bye!**

**XD **


	4. Painting

**Stand and deliver reviews! Lol. I'll _try_ and make the chapters longer. The key word being 'try'.**

* * *

There was no way- _no way_- that this little boy- _this kind little boy_- was Deidara. He couldn't be that snarky, annoying, _SELFISH_, self-centred Akatsuki member. Just... no way in hell could that be.

Breathing deeply, Sakura composed herself; a good idea since she had previously been gaping like a goldfish, her eyes bulging like one too.

_Okay. Okay_. Inner Sakura breathed deeply, _Maybe Deidara is a common name in Iwa. Yeah, that's it! It's just a coincidence! _The more she thought about it, the more likely it became.

"So..." A voice came from her left. She had totally forgotten about the kid. She looked at him, waiting to hear what he was about to say.

"Were you listening to me?" When Sakura failed to respond, he said, "I said, what's your name? If you don't wanna tell me, fine, but please stop staring. It's freaking me out, lady." Sakura glared at him at the use of the word 'lady'.

"Sakura." She huffed.

"Wha...?" Deidara looked at her questioning painted all over his face.

"My name is Sakura." She repeated.

"...Oh! I knew you weren't a retard!"

"What?!"

Grinning, he replied, "Nice meeting ya, but I've got a genin team to meet. Bye, Sakura!"

As Deidara ran off across the yard, Sakura panicked. She needed him to stay! She opened her mouth, and yelled,

"Wait!"

Spinning around, Deidara cocked his head at her.

"Yeah?" He said.

"Erm... Um... I-...Ah, uh..." Sakura struggled to get her words out. It had sounded so much easier in her head!

Clearing her throat, she said what she hadn't been able to earlier: "Can I come with you?"

"Why?"

"'Cause there's still time 'till I have to pick up, my sister... er... Izumi?"

Deidara laughed. "Was that a statement or a question? But sure; Maybe you are a retard after all..." The last part he muttered under his breath so Sakura couldn't hear it. Deidara had a feeling she could be easily ticked off, and was very dangerous when she was annoyed. He would be proved right in the future.

As they walked up to the roof on the clattering metal staircase, a cold wind blew by and ruffled Sakura's hair and dress, making her shiver. Now on the roof of the Academy, the wind grew harsher and Sakura regretted not bringing a jacket.

"Sakura, this is Izuya, Notatsu, and my Sensei." Deidara's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Or, more precisely, regrets.

A young girl, presumably Izuya, stood a few metres away. She had shoulder-length black hair with matching eyes. Beside her was a boy, probably Notatsu. He looked like the average village kid, nothing special really: short brown hair, black eyes, pale skin but not too pale. He wasn't muscular, but he wasn't really scrawny either. He didn't seem like the type to stand out in a crowd. Their sensei looked in his late twenties; pale red hair, sharp features, light smooth skin- no wrinkles yet- and... Orange eyes? He was handsome, that was for sure.

"Who's the girl- what's her name, Pinkie?" The boy- Notatsu?-snorted. The girl (who Sakura thought was Izuya) giggled. Sakura was suddenly hit with a wave a déjà vou. Her own genin team...

"No, it's Sakura actually, Notatsu. Need me to spell that out for you?"

Notatsu growled, and Izuya tapped her foot on the ground.

"Hi Sakura. You should probably leave. Like, right now. We're going on a mission, and we don't need village girls interfering. So, like, bye. You know, as in leave! Scram! Get out!" Izuya made a shooing motion with her hand, sounding like Sakura's superior.

Resisting the urge to prove Izuya wrong, she ignored her, instead walking up to Deidara's sensei.

"Hello, sir. Can I please join you on this mission? I won't get in the way, I promise."

Their sensei frowned. "Why would you like to come?"

Sakura struggled for an answer, using the first thing that came to mind. "An assignment, sir. It's about... the d-dynamics of n-ninja squads and team relationships." She stuttered.

The jounin clearly didn't believe her, but let her come anyway. And they set off.

* * *

It should have been simple: Paint the fence. But it hadn't been.

They arrived at a big house; it was quite fancy and decorated, even though they didn't even go inside. After meeting the landlord, who asked them to paint his fence, the three genin were supplied with paint and brushes. Sakura and their unnamed sensei sat watching on a large rock after declining the offer to go inside.

"It's funny watching the three of them." Said the jounin.

Looking at him, she said, "Why is that?"

"They bicker so much, it's hilarious. I miss my old genin squad." He sighed, his face suddenly faraway, lost in his memories.

"They don't get along? As in, at all, sir?" Sakura hadn't exactly been best buddies with Naruto or Sasuke when she was young, but they had been good friends.

"Please don't call me sir; call me Mirashi. And, well, I wouldn't call their relationship friendship; they get along with Deidara like a house on fire." Mirashi smiled kindly.

Before Sakura could voice her next question, something else caught her attention. Izuya, Deidara and Notatsu had stopped painting.

"Hey, Deidara, could you help me paint this stupid fence? My arms are, like, really tired." Whined Izuya.

"Go to hell." Was the reply.

Notatsu wiped his hands on his shirt, smearing paint everywhere.

"Deidara can you help ME? I can't seem to be able to paint without getting half on it on my hands. See?" He held up his hands to prove his point.

"Fine!" Deidara snapped, "But don't except favours like this regularly."

Notatsu didn't say anything in response, just stepped away from the fence as Deidara walked over.

"Gotta go." Whispered Mirashi, and disappeared. Sakura refocused her attention on the conversation.

The blond picked up the brush, and dipped it in paint. Then he ran it up and down the fence.

"See?" He did it again, trying to demonstrate to Notatsu.

"Well," grinned Notatsu, "Since you're having such a good time painting the fence, Izuya and I'll leave so we won't bother you. Bye, have fun!" Izuya and Notatsu sprinted away, leaving Deidara to paint the fence on his own. A slightly saddened look crossed his face, but before Sakura could be sure he turned around and started painting. They left him to do their job for them. As always.

When Deidara had got about half of the fence painted, Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked over to him, grabbing the brush in Izuya's abandoned bucket. She started to paint with him.

"Why do they treat you like that? Why do you let them treat you like that?" Sakura had to know. What had Deidara done wrong? She didn't get it.

"I'm a weirdo." Was the answer.

"What? You are a weirdo? What stuff have they been feeding you? You aren't a weirdo; you're just a kid who didn't do anything wrong!" She snapped angrily, glaring at the paint bucket.

"No. I've done wrong."

Sakura didn't respond. A minute later, she said, "What did you do?"

Deidara ignored her, instead dipping the brush in sticky liquid again and then went back to painting the wall. It was almost sunset by the time they finished.

* * *

"Well, bye."

Deidara and Sakura stood on the street together as he waved farewell. As he turned around to leave, she grabbed him hand. He sighed. "What now?"

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "Ah, well, you see... I don't have a place to stay and I lost my pack* so can I stay at your place? Just for tonight. I'll stop bugging you afterwards, promise."

Deidara stopped to think about it. Then he answered. "No," he said.

"Why not? Besides, then I'll owe you!" Sakura argued.

"...Fine. Just this once. I trust you; don't make me regret this."

Sakura smiled happily and realised that she was still holding his hand. She let go.

"Come on. No comments about my house, though." Deidara led the way. They turned around corners, left and right, climbed up steps and squeezed through tight spaces. They seemed to have been walking for hours on end, though in reality it wasn't even ten minutes. Finally, they made one last turn, wiggled into a crack on the wall of something (it was too dark to see where and what anything was) and was presented with Deidara's home. Well, this was... interesting.

* * *

**A/N**

***Remember the pack she brought? Well, it didn't come with her when she time travelled.**

**I know, I know. It took forever for this chapter to come out. But only because there are only 5 reviews! Really, I'm not kidding; please review! Thanks to the people who did review. I've been kinda excited about going over to my friend's place because, well, I never get to do that. Plus, I've been dealing with 'Friend Problems'. It's really beginning to bug me. Oh, and also: Deidara's genin team are OBVIOUSLY OC's, so please don't ask any stupid questions. Okay, I'll stop blabbing. Bye! The next chapter will not be out tomorrow, BTW. I know so far my writing sucks, and normally my work is better, but I really don't have the heart or the inspiration to edit it. So just put up with it.  
**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: I WILL NOT UPDATE UNTIL I'VE GOT 10 REVIEWS MINIMUM! SO YEAH! REVIEW!**


	5. Delayed!

**NO! THIS STORY IS _NOT_ GOING TO BE ABANDONED! JUST DELAYED!**

**Hello, readers:**

**There have been some complications. I write my stuff on my iPad, which is currently lost. I had about another 1/2 chapter on it, and I don't want to give it up because I remember being quite happy with what I wrote. So anyway, sorry about the delay. But still: I will not even considering writing anything more if I don't get 10 reviews!**

**Here is a sneak peak of the next chapter:**

* * *

**"Sakura." Deidara sighed, his tone still a bit unstable. His eyes were still wide and filled with paranoia. ****"You... You have proven to be my friend, and a good medic nin. So, I'll let you stay in my house for as long as you want, on a few conditions."**

* * *

**I would also like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has reviewed:**

**Laylagirl111, JUCHKO, Funnie, and TsubasaTenshi-sama**

**and others will review in the future!**

**Bye.**

**PS. I despise flowers.**


	6. Deal

Chapter 5

Sakura lay snuggled on the mattress, a thin cloth acting as a blanket. It wasn't cold, not really, since it was summer in Iwagakure. But it was still a little chilly. Sakura's host lay curled up on a chair; he was probably being nice, but also expecting something in return. Deidara lived pretty much in a dilapidated shed, and the inside wasn't much better. There were a few pieces of shabby furniture, the mattress and wooden chairs being two. Actually, Deidara had put two chairs together, so he would be able to lie down, to some degree anyway.

It was dawn, the sun just peeking over the horizon. Last night, once there, the two ninja had quickly settled down to sleep: Sakura on the mattress (which was on the floor) and Deidara cramped on the two chairs. Now it was morning, and the shed became lighter, a shade less black; it would have been much more illuminated if the place had windows.

Deidara stirred from his sleep, his eyes soon opening. He climbed off his makeshift bed and quickly changed into fresh clothes. After brushing his hair, tying it up, and putting on his headband, he put on his shoes and left. He headed through the streets to the roof of the academy, like everyday. His sensei was there along with Notatsu, both sitting on the ground, their backs turned to Deidara. Grinning, he crept up stealthily to them and yelled, "Hey!"

Mirashi sensei didn't even twitch, while Notatsu yelped and almost jumped out of his skin in fright. He spun around angrily, furiously glaring at Deidara.

"Why you... Son of a..."

Notatsu raised his fist and threw it forward, intending to punch Deidara. It stopped inches away from his face, where a palm blocked it. Mirashi drew his hand back, Notatsu mimicking.

"What was that? You let your emotions take over; You almost hurt your comrade over a joke!" The jounin's voice was shaking, his eyes full of anger.

Notatsu opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, after realising he really couldn't argue with his sensei.

Secretly, Deidara grinned at Notatsu's predicament, but did not let it show.

Sighing, the brunette boy mumbled, "Sorry sensei. It won't happen again."

"Good." The man answered, and turned around, walking away.

Notatsu glared at Deidara hatefully, who just glared back in response.

It was at this moment in time that Izuya decided to grace them with her presence.

They exchanged the normal greeting, and then Mirashi announced their mission about taking some dogs to a nearby adoption centre.

Team 10 (their team number) were soon struggling to keep a few massive dogs under control.

"W- Ah!" Yelped Izuya. She was pouring everything she had into making her dog obedient. They were walking through a forest, and on the other side lay the adoption centre.

"Who would ever adopt such annoying beasts?" asked Notatsu miserably.

Mirashi shrugged. "I'm a ninja, not a dog expert."

They continued on for a while, until Notatsu's eyes met with Izuya's, and they grinned unpleasantly together.

They slowly dropped behind Deidara and Mirashi, and started whispering feverishly. Before anyone got suspicious though, they were back at normal pace and their faces neutral. Nothing was out of place.

It happened suddenly. Notatsu's dog burst free, and it bared it's teeth menacingly at the ninja. Izuya quickly dashed into the trees, Notatsu following her. Now, two massive dogs were loose and angry. Not good.

Mirashi lashed out, but before he could complete his shadow clone, he was knocked over by the beast Notatsu had been holding. Deidara stood terrified and exposed, alone faced by a looming dog. Its eyes were pure black... So black... Deidara tore his gaze away, remembering that looking a dog in the eye was a sign of aggression. He slowly backed up. Slowly...

_Snap._

Deidara's foot came down on a twig.

Roaring, the brown dog jumped forward, and swung a monstrous paw at the blond genin. Deidara jumped out of the way, but a little to late. The paw scratched deep into his left arm, and Deidara gave a strangled scream. Suddenly, the other monster dog was thrown into a tree, Mirashi getting up with only a few small injuries. Running over to his student, he created two shadow clones, and quickly knocked the dog unconscious.

Deidara stood, and looked down. Together, they tightened the leashes on the dogs and dragged them along, with the help of one of Mirashi's shadow clones. They completed the rest of the mission in silence, Deidara not once averting his gaze from the forest floor. When they arrived, Deidara dumped his dog in its cage then left swiftly, ignoring the receptionist who asked him about his wound, and didn't wait for Mirashi.

* * *

Sakura hadn't done much during the day, but was quite happy at the moment. She had checked out Iwa a bit; familiarised herself a little with the main streets. It was at about sunset time when Deidara came back.

The Iwa nin stood leaning on the closed wooden door, his entire form a bit dishevelled. Sakura hadn't seen him at all that day, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she stopped. His face was ashen and peaked, his entire form quivering violently, and his eyes were scared. He collapsed. He hit the floor head first, and drifted into unconsciousness.

Sakura ran over to the blond, and when it was clear that he had blacked-out, she picked him up and gingerly placed him on the mattress.

A few hours later, Deidara awoke.

He sat up and blinked blearily. Sakura had slept in the same place he had been the night before: the double chairs.

"Sakura?" Deidara called out, to test if she was awake or not.

She was, indeed, awake. She uncurled, and walked over to him.

"Move your left arm." she said.

Deidara complied, but immediately regretted it. Pain seemed to take over his body at the movement. He had to bite his tongue to keep quiet. He prided himself for his unusual pain resistance, and wouldn't be put to shame now.

Seeing his flinch, Sakura bent over Deidara and rested her hands against the wound. It sizzled, and the wound lessened. It left a cool feeling in his arm afterwards.

Deidara looked at Sakura, who was watching him.

"Thank you." he muttered, before falling asleep abruptly.

The next morning, Deidara was feeling admittedly a lot better, but nowhere near good despite Sakura's efforts. He still couldn't move his arm, but other than that, Deidara was fine.

The blond now sat cross legged on his bed, and was waiting for Sakura to come back. He has asked her to tell his sensei he couldn't get out of bed.

The door slammed open, and Sakura walked in.

"Careful with the door," muttered Deidara, not really caring.

"Old habit." Sakura shrugged, and apologised.

She sat down beside him. Neither made a sound.

Finally, Deidara looked at her.

"Sakura," Deidara sighed, his tone still a bit unstable. His eyes were big and filled with slight paranoia. "You... You have proven to be my friend, and a good medic nin." He paused for a while, deciding whether or not to say the next bit.

"So, I'll let you stay in my house for as long as you need, on a few conditions. You have to heal me if I am injured. You must not bring others here. And, you must get a job."

Sakura smiled. The conditions were easy to meet. "Deal," she agreed, and they shook hands.

* * *

**This can hardly qualify as a chapter, can it? Well, I just found my iPad so I can write! I know I haven't updated for a long time, so I wrote this as fast as I could. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. This is the shortest one I've written so far, actually. Anyway, please review, blah blah blah. You get it.**

**I know I only have 9 reviews now, but who cares. Close enough.**

**Until next time (i.e. the next update) ! ^-^**


	7. Headaches

The three remaining Konoha shinobi, as trained as they were, were feeling quite uneasy. They were having trouble upholding the scrolls power, after one of them had been called away for an urgent mission, and wouldn't be back for a few weeks, having just left yesterday. One of them frowned in concentration, as the scroll suddenly gave a surge of unexpected power.

"She must have done something to change the past," the one sitting near the door murmured. The other two shrugged.

A strange, overwhelming feeling of emptiness and detachment began to build up in their stomachs. It grew gradually, and soon, it was all over them, acting like a numbing pill. The scroll gave another surge of strength, and the ninjas had to use everything they had to keep Sakura safe in the past. They weakened as the numbing grew stronger, along with the power from the scroll.

An unexpected blast from the scroll made them start. The jounin who had spoken opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a shuddering jolt of power form the scroll. He prepared to speak again.

"We won't be able to hold Sakura in the past if this continues. We have to push all of our power into the scroll, now! Otherwise, Sakura will be lost forever."

The others nodded, and a blue glow appeared around all three of them- their chakra. As they pushed it into the scroll to keep it under straps, the scroll suddenly burst with light, which engulfed the entire room for a second before dying down. Then, everything just returned to normal.

"Well, that's over!" grinned one of them.

But unfortunately for Sakura, it was not. They had not solved the problem- instead, they had done something else. Something else that would endanger Sakura.

* * *

Sakura groaned, leaning against a wall.

_Just great! _She fumed.

Her head felt like it was ready to explode. She had a massive headache. Being the Leaf Hokage's apprentice, she was a good medic nin, but was absolutely defenceless when faced with a headache.

After resting a few minuets, she stumbled on down the street, moaning in pain occasionally. People turned their heads to look at her curiously.

"The only thing that's worse than a headache," Sakura muttered, "is a massive one!" When Sakura got back to her temporary home, the pain in her head was still there, surprisingly, but now just a normal headache. Sakura felt like she would have welcomed death if this continued any longer. She hated headaches.

If only all it was was just a simple, simple headache.

* * *

**I know I said that this chapter would be longer, but obviously, it's not, at only 420 words. Besides, you only get a short chapter for not fulfilling my goal of 15 reviews! Also, I needed to make this a separate chapter because it isn't set in the past.**

**Note: Sakura got the headache from... You can figure it out. **

_Note 2: In the past, six months would be, like, three weeks in the present. So Sakura isn't actually given half a year, because that would be too long. I just changed the mistake in chapter 2, so this is for anyone who read this story before I changed it._

**Guest: Is it supposed to be cold in Iwa or something? Just imagine that it's set in the summer, which it is. I guess.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! =D**

**Bye - and I'm not gonna say if the next chapter is long or short because, as you have seen, my promises are quite empty. **


	8. Gone

Chapter 7: _Gone_

**Warning: Slight slight swearing! ^^ Sorry, the rating _will_ go up for it.**

* * *

A month passed. Deidara continued to let her stay in his 'house'. Sakura had gotten a job, so now she was able to pay for her own food, but still nowhere near moving out of Deidara's house. She worked at the hospital full time, since she was a medic; but it also because it reminded her of Konoha.

* * *

_"You wanna be a medic nin?" growled the woman._

_Nodding meekly in her nervousness, she replied,"Yes, m'am."_

_"Not married yet, idiot!" snarled the woman, slamming her fist down on her desk._

_Now Sakura wasn't scared of a lot of things, but this woman was intimidating, and she was really, really scary, for the lack of a better word._

_Sakura had been looking around the village; she had been rejected from the last, oh, perhaps seven jobs she had applied to (in the same day) . It was pure luck that she had strolled right past the hospital - she hadn't been able to find it earlier. Everyone in this town gave horrible directions. Or maybe she was just a horrible follower. Anyway, Sakura had gone in, and spent at least one hour looking for the head. She had encountered some very... different things here than what she would have seen in her home village._

_"Well, then, girl, let's see what you can do!"_

_Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion. Wasn't she going to ask about her details? Her identity, her village (Sakura had stowed her headband in her hip weapon pouch, just in case)? Hell, she didn't even ask for her name!_

_"Newbie here!" she screamed. Sakura had to cover her ears in pain. And Sasuke had called HER annoying, thought Sakura._

_The door banged open, and a bulky lady scurried inside, literally dragging a man behind her. "Heal him." said the newcomer, when the Konoha nin didn't move._

_The pink haired girl analysed the man's body, who seemed very nervous... and even scared, for some reason. Finishing, she stood up._

_"But there's nothing to heal." muttered Sakura._

_The manager opened a draw on her desk roughly, pulling out an object. She raised it above her head. The light glinted ominously on the knife in the woman's hands. In one swift move, she brought it down, and a scream was omitted from the poor victim. Crimson soaked the shirt, reddest and thickest at the stomach, where the wound was made._

_"Well, now there is!" laughed the manager, a crazed look in her eyes. The other chuckled at Sakura's horrified expression._

_Acting automatically, Sakura bent down and placed her hands gently on the cut. The world seemed to fade away around her as she healed the injured man. The wound closed up, and the man immediately fainted. She checked his heartbeat for any signs of danger, but there were none._

_A hand was placed on her shoulder. Sakura turned around, suddenly remembering that she had been supposed to heal the man. She felt disgusted with herself with obeying them, even though she couldn't have just let the poor guy die!_

_"You've got real experience. That's something most of us don't have here. What's your name, newbie?" asked the head of the hospital. The head of the hospital who just almost killed a man for a initiation test. "Sakura. Sakura Haruno." replied Sakura, quite emotionlessly._

_"Suckura. Got it. Come to work everyday, and yeah, be normal and don't kill anyone, Suckura."_

_The said woman's eye twitched in annoyance, but she couldn't just lash out to her boss, now could she? She swallowed her pride. "Oh, and, Suckura, ya start now, ending whenever I feel like it."_

_**Damn**, yelled Inner Sakura, **you can hardly move after walking around all day trying to get employed. On hopeless things, I must add. You better not let me-**  
Bite me, snapped the real girl. But, her other ego continued undisturbed:  
**-me down by collapsing, or you'll be sorry, sucker! Oh, and, your boss is hilarious, Suckura. Ha!**_

_Sakura wondered why her Inner kept insulting herself._

* * *

Sakura was now hurrying back to the shed; it was the end of the month, so she had gotten her salary already. Suddenly, there was a gleam to her left. Sakura turned her head, but couldn't see anything. She went towards where she had seen it. The gleam shone again, and Sakura realised that it was coming from a little bracelet on the floor. She picked it up to inspect it. It was made of wire, and had several small black stones on it. There was a single white stone, which shone like a pearl. It was beautiful.

_Perfect_! Thought Sakura, _I'll give this to Deidara as a token of my appreciation! _

Sakura continued her walk back. She opened the door as she got there, and saw Deidara... moulding clay? She couldn't see him that well, with the dim light and him sitting away from her. As she shut the door loudly to announce her arrival, the blond immediately shoved whatever he was playing with into his satchel. Sakura paid no heed to this.

"Hey, Sakura," he muttered, turning his chair around. She fumbled around in her pocket for the bangle. Finding it, she gripped it.

"Well, thanks for letting me stay here and everything..." She started.

"You're leaving, un?" There was something akin to disappointment in his voice.

Shaking her head quickly, she said, "No! Sorry for startling you," she apologised, then continued on: "I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here, and um..." Sakura pulled the gift out of her pocket. "Give this to you as a gift."

Deidara's eyes widened. "How much did that cost?" He whispered.

Sakura scratched her head sheepishly. "I just found it on the street..." She said, turning away in embarrassment. "Is it okay? I know it doesn't help you or anything, but-"

"No!" Deidara burst out. "I mean... I love it, hmm. It's great. Thank you." He clasped the bracelet onto his wrist carefully, as if trying not to hurt it. "It's just that I've never owned something this expensive, yeah."

That night, Deidara slept with his present still on his wrist. The night passed peacefully. The time period after that, however, would be nothing close.

Deidara awoke at the same time as always: which was always before his companion. But today, as he cracked open his sleep-weary eyes, his house was empty of life, apart from himself. Just like how it had been before Sakura had arrived - he had a hard time keeping up, staying alive. But she came, and, well, basically saved him from his loneliness.

Thinking she was up early, Deidara did his morning preparations, and joined his teammates, who were ***holes (as usual) and his sensei, who wasn't. The day passed: it was actually a holiday that day, and Izuya and Notatsu rushed off immediately after hearing that. Mirashi sensei did offer to spend the day with the young blond, but he declined. As nice as he was, Deidara didn't feel comfortable hanging out with his sensei, like they were friends.

Night came, and Deidara returned home. Sakura was nowhere to be seen. _Probably working late at the hospital,_ thought Deidara, and shrugged, the matter slipping out of his mind. He settled down to sleep. The next morning, again, the pinkette was absent. Deidara thought that she must have stayed the night at the hospital: she probably had had a tough case and couldn't walk back to the shed.

Morning, afternoon, night. The evening was cold, like most nights in Iwagakure. Two days passed with no sign of Sakura. Two days became two weeks, which became two months. Deidara had refused to believe she was never coming back; Sakura wasn't like that, he thought. His teammates revelled in his pain, being sadistic bastards. Deidara always kept his bracelet, as reassurance. But Sakura still didn't come back, even after a year.

She had disappeared.

* * *

**Okay, hey! I know this chapter is kinda short :( but it has to be that way, or else it'll mess the plot up. The first cliffhanger in the story! Woo hoo! **

**I would really appreciate it if you would be a **_darling (_**insert English accent) and **_REVIEWED**!**_(When I get 17 reviews, I'll be so happy I'll literally jump for joy.)** Thanks to everyone who has so far! Love you guys! =D**

**I have this habit of not reading the AN if it is quite long, so if anyone didn't read last chapters AN, then you missed my second note:**

Note 2: In the past, six months would be, like, three weeks in the present. So Sakura isn't actually given half a year, because that would be too long. I just changed the mistake in chapter 2, so this is for anyone who read this story before I changed it.

**Ignore it if you read last chapters AN, though. **


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